On Wednesday, January 27, Sen. Steve Hobbs (D–Lake Stevens), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, released his nearly $19 billion transportation revenue package. The proposal includes the following revenue sources:
- Fuel tax: increase of $0.06
- Tax on new construction
- Per trip tax on for-hire vehicles
- Rental car tax
- Air Quality Surcharge on the purchase of new vehicles
- Various other taxes and fees
The proposal also includes two carbon-based options to generate revenue:
- Option 1: A carbon fee of $20 per metric ton
- Option 2: 50% of state revenues generated from a Cap and Invest system
Other key investments included in the proposal:
- Transportation Improvement Board (TIB): $100 million
- Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB): $50 million
- Fish passage barrier removal: $3.5 billion, including investments based on watersheds and funding for both state and local culverts
- Direct distributions to cities and counties for local maintenance and operation needs: $375 million
- Bicycle/pedestrian improvements: $165 million
- Safe Routes to Schools: $60 million
- Complete Streets (administered through TIB): $90 million
A brief summary of the revenue proposal can be found here. A summary of the expenditures can be found here.
The current project list can be found here.
On January 28, Marian Dacca testified on behalf of AWC, expressing support for a transportation revenue package. She shared
data from the recent Joint Transportation Committee study that found that in the next ten years, cities will need to spend $20-$28 billion to maintain and improve our transportation assets, not including what is needed for deferred maintenance and
preservation. She acknowledged that the development of a proposal is an ever-evolving process and that cities will continue working on legislation that supports cities’ diverse transportation needs.